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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · prune · kick · branch · rash · cold · pop · calf

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pop — music
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stock — goods
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com